In business and consumer environments, several types of electronic messages are commonly used. These message types include voice mail, e-mail and facsimile (fax). Each type of electronic message requires its own transmission protocol and access mechanism. For instance, voice mail messages are typically transferred using a switched telephone network. To access conventional voice mail messages, a user must dial into a voice mail server using a telephone. In contrast, e-mail messages rely on different protocols and access mechanisms. E-mail messages are typically sent over computer networks, and to access e-mail messages, the user must usually login to a computer.
The commonplace use of different message types requires users to access different messaging systems to retrieve all of their messages. This can be time consuming and burdensome. To overcome this problem, unified messaging systems have been developed. In these systems, voice mail, e-mail, fax, and other message types can be received by the unified system for retrieval by the user using a single access interface. Communication and message storage can be centralized, while retrieval of messages can be accomplished with a user selected access mechanism. For example, in a unified environment, a user may choose to receive all incoming faxes, voice mails and e-mails by way of an e-mail account. To check messages, the user needs only to check the e-mail account, instead of individually checking the voice mail, e-mail and fax accounts. Thus, unified messaging systems significantly improve the electronic message environment by providing a single access point for different types of messages.
Unified messaging services are currently available over the Internet. One such service is Personal Telecom, provided by JFAX.COM, Inc. Personal Telecom permits subscribers to access voice mail, e-mail or fax by way of an Internet page or a phone call to an automated call processing center. A drawback to systems, such as JFAX, is that they do not interface to existing (“legacy”) messaging systems, particularly those located behind corporate firewalls.
Many business enterprises have invested significantly in voice mail and e-mail systems for use in their workplace environments. These legacy systems generally are not integrated to provide unified messaging. Moreover, current unified messaging systems do not interface to these pre-existing voice and e-mail systems. Thus, for many business enterprises, migrating to a unified messaging system would require scrapping substantial investment in legacy messaging systems. Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system of incorporating legacy messaging systems into a modern unified messaging environment.